Charity and union leaders call for overhaul of UK’s ‘broken’ sick pay regime

More than 30 charity and union leaders have written to work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith calling for the UK’s sick pay regime to be reformed.

They say the current system is failing to provide for sick workers when they need support.

Currently two million workers receive no sick pay, as they earn less than £123 a week, they warn. In addition, a third are only paid £99.35 a week when ill.

“As a result, the current system incentivises workers to go into work sick as they cannot afford to take the time off,” they warn Smith in a joint letter.

“This leads to public health risks as we saw during the pandemic. It also leads to financial hardship, especially with the cost-of-living crisis.”

Among charity chief executives to sign are Mind’s Paul Farmer, Scope’s Mark Hodgkinson, Child Poverty Action Group’s Alison Garnham and Disability Rights UK’s Kamran Mallick.

Statutory Sick Pay is less than £100 a week. It’s not enough. When you’re sick, the last thing you need to worry about is money.

So we’re calling for Chloe Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to meet with us and prioritise #safesickpay.https://t.co/fjZ9QpEUx2
— Mind (@MindCharity) October 11, 2022

Other signatories include Leonard Cheshire Disability policy director Gemma Hope and Young Minds communications and campaigns director Tom Madders.

They are calling for the abolition of the earning threshold for statutory sick pay.

It should also be payable from the first day of sickness, as workers are currently not paid for the first three days they are off sick.

Sick pay also needs to be in line with the real living wage, says their letter.

A phased return to work and income protection needs to be built into a more flexible system, they add.

“Currently, the UK’s sick pay is among the lowest of any wealthy country,” states their letter, which invites Smith to meet with the charity and union leaders to “find an equitable solution to the UK’s sick pay system”.

The Centre for Progressive Change, which is coordinating the campaign added: “Statutory Sick Pay in the UK is broken. Millions of us are forced to either go into work sick or stay at home worrying about money and job security.”

The campaign is being promoted on social media through #SafeSickPay.